Spindles for use in textile machinery



Feb. 5, 1957 E. FINDLOW SPINDLES FOR USE IN TEXTILE MACHINERY w M W M w m m m F mi 0 RV 0 E5 1 Z n N W m J United States Patent M r 2,780,049 7 SPINDLES FOR USE IN TEXTILE MACHINERY Erie Findlow, Macclesfield, England, assignor to Ernest Scragg & Sons Limited, Macclesfield, England Application August 14, 1953, Serial No. 374,329

Claims priority, application Great Britain December 31, 1952 4 Claims. (Cl. 57-133) This invention has reference to spindles for use in textile machinery and relates more particularly to spindles used for carrying heavy packages where it is highly desirable to provide adequate lubrication for the spindle and smooth running as free as possible from vibration.

The kind of spindle to which this invention relates is that having a non-rotating spindle mounted in a bolster carried by a swinging arm and having at the top, and near its lower end, ball-races carrying a rotatable tube on which the package of thread or yarn is detachably mounted, but when on the tube is rotated therewith.

In such spindles, there is a detachable plug at the top of the tube closing an opening through which oil can be poured into the tube to lubricate the bearings, and this oil is received in a container surrounding the bottom end of the spindle.

The present invention has for its object to provide an improved spindle of the kind referred to having improved means for working the oil up to the bearings from an oil container below, and according to the invention the annular cavity in the tube is closed at its lower end by a plug having a downwardly extending boss of reduced diameter and being arially bored to provide a downwardly tapering or funnel-like passage-way concentrically arranged around the stationary spindle, said boss projecting into an annular cavity in the spindle bolster and said cavity being adapted to receive oil from the reservoir, whereby as the spindle and plug rotate oil is fed upwards through the funnel-like passage-way and into the tube to lubricate the bearings of the spindle.

Also according to the invention, the usual driving wharve is not used, the drive being directly on to the tube.

The invention is more particularly set forth with reference to the accompnaying drawing, wherein the single figure is a sectional elevation of a spindle assembly constructed in accordance with the invention.

Referring to the drawing, the assembly consists of the I usual swinging or pivotal arm 10 having a spindle bolster 11 mounted therein, the bolster supporting the fixed spindle 12, and being clamped to the arm 10 by a nut 13 in screwed engagement with the lower end of the spindle 12 through the intermediary of a spring 14 in known manner. The spindle 12 and bolster 11 are clamped together by a grub screw 15, and a pin 10b in the end 10a of the arm 10 engages in a groove 11a in the bolster 11 so as to relatively locate the latter as will later be described.

The lower end of the spindle bolster 11 and the spring 14 are enclosed by an oil container 16 conveniently screwed on to the end 10a of the swinging arm 10, and it is convenient for this oil container 16 to be transparent so that the oil level can be observed.

Rotatably mounted on the spindle by means of upper ball bearing 17 and lower ball bearing 18 is a tube 19 adapted to receive and removably locate a bobbin 20 2,780,049 Patented Feb. 5, 1957 (indicated in chain lines), and for such purpose resilient locating rings 21, 22, are provided on the tube.

Below the top bearing 17 is an annular oil cup 23 'fixed to the tube 19 so as to rotate therewith, a metal filling the annular space 25 with oil, which will then seep 10 down into the space 24a.

The lower portion of the spindle 12 is of reduced diameter and the lower end of the tube 19 is counter-bored to provide respectively locating shoulders 27, 28, for the inner and outer races of said lower bearing 18. This bearing 18 is held against the said locating shoulders by an inner sleeve 29, and an outer sleeve 30, thus providing an annular space 31 between the two sleeves for a purpose to be later described.

The lower end of the tube 19 is closed by a screwed plug-like member 32, which acts as a support for the outer sleeve 30, and said plug 32 has a downwardly extending boss 33 of reduced diameter which is axially bored so as to provide a downwardly tapering or funnellike passage-way 34 concentrically arranged around the spindle 12. Said boss 33 projects into an annular cavity 35 in the spindle bolster 11, and the inner sleeve 29.

projects through the funnel-like passage-way 34 to rest on the bolster 11. The spindle bolster 11 is radially bored at 36 adjacent the bottom of the cavity to enable oil from the oil container 16 to flow thereinto and so into the funnel-like passage-way 24.

Above the spindle bolster 11 is a splash cap 37 with filling screen 38, said splash cap 37 having a flange 39 surrounding the tube, and a labyrinth packing 40 b ing provided to prevent escape of oil by capillary action along the outer surface of the tube 19. The splash cap 37 is also provided with ring bafiles 41 to assist in the prevention of the escape of oil. Directly below the filling screw 38 an oil duct is provided in the end 10a of the arm 10, so that oil may be filled into the container 16. The pin 10b and the groove 11a ensure alignment of the duct 10c with the screw 38.

In operation, the container is filled through the filling screw 38 until the oil level is above the top of the spindle bolster 11 but below the bottom of the tube 19. The oil passes by way of the radially bored hole 36 in the spindle bolster 11 into the lower end of the funnel-like passage-way 34, until the oil level therein is the same as that of the container 16.

When the tube 19 is rotated, carrying with it the plug like member 32, the oil is drawn or fed up the funnellike passage-way 34 and projected into the annular space 31 between the inner and outer sleeves 29, 30, thus oiling the lower bearing 18, but by increasing the speed sufiiciently, the oil can be carried up to the top bearing in which event the oil trap 24 at the top can be omitted.

Instead of using a whorl on the tube 19 to engage the driving belt 42 (indicated in chain lines) the drive is direct on to the spindle tube 19, thereby eliminating the necessity of including a whorl in the assembly.

I claim:

1. A textile spindle assembly comprising a stationary vertical spindle, an upper and a lower bearing located on said spindle, a tube concentric with said spindle and rotatable on said bearings on which tube a package of yarn is adapted to be detachably mounted, a plug having a reduced diameter boss located in the lower end of said tube and having a tapered axial bore which provides a funnel-like passage-way around said spindle, a bolster for supporting said spindle, and an oil container surrounding said bolster, there being a hole in said bolster whereby oil may pass from said oil container to said funnel-like passage-way said funnel-like passage-way serving, when said tube and plug are rotated, to feed oil upwards from said oil container to the interior of said tube to lubricate said bearings.

2. A text le spindle assembly as set forth in claim in which the lower end of the spindle is of reduced diameter and the lower end of the tube is counter-bored to provide locating shoulders against which the lower bearing is positioned.

sitioned, there being an inner sleeve surrounding the spindle and supported by said bolster which inner sleeve positions the lower bearing against the locating shoulder on the spindle, and an outer sleeve located within the 'counterbored part of the tube to position the lower hearing against the locating shoulder in said sleeve.

4. A textile spindle assembly as set forth in claim 1 wherein a splash cap is provided for closing said oil-container, the said cap having, on its underside, ring baflles to prevent escape of oil, a labyrinth packing being provided between said splash cap and said tube so as to pre vent oil escaping to the outside of said tube.

No references cited. 

